A group with one foot in acoustic music traditions and another in the more adventurous side of roots music, the Gibson Brothers blend the close harmonies and agile picking of bluegrass with a melodic approach that incorporates elements of contemporary country and classic rock. A rare example of a successful bluegrass act based on the East Coast, the Gibson Brothers made their live debut in the mid-'80s and by 1998, they had been accepted by the bluegrass establishment, winning the Best Emerging Artist honors at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards that year. They showed off their mastery of traditional bluegrass styles on albums like 1997's Spread Your Wings and 1998's Another Night of Waiting, but a more progressive approach and adventurous choices in material on 2006's Red Letter Day and 2013's They Called It Music found them exploring new musical avenues. With 2019's Mockingbird, produced in part by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, the Gibson Brothers moved past the strict confines of bluegrass into a fuller sound that was informed by country, R&B, and Southern rock more than acoustic music.